He has been a council member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts for several years, was elected
as artist member in 2004 and is currently vice-president.
Alfred was a long standing committee member of
Watercolour New Zealand, in 2006-2009 serving as a President and re-elected
again in 2013.
Enormous contribution over the years from Alfred Memelink
Alfred Memelink is stepping off the Watercolour New Zealand Committee. Its difficult to put in words
the enormous contribution he has made to the society over thirty years.
Alfred took over the Presidency in 2006. The society has flourished as a result of his strength and
vision. Under Alfreds leadership the membership more than doubled in the space of three years. That
was just the start. Together with Martin Jenkins and Phil Dickson he established a strong committee
with good folk like treasurer Michael Bain and John McDonnell. They forged a future for the medium
of watercolour in our country.
Alfred is a wide and sound thinker. He made the good decisions which have led to the strong national
society that we have today, 16 years later. He established the Splash exhibitions, now our major
front window; he dreamt up the Safaris which have become the current Paintaways when as many as 50
people enjoy painting and socializing together; he set up efficient systems for the running of the
organisation and commenced digitisation of records; he established a regime of workshops and courses
with top tutors; he and Martin began the regular outdoor painting sessions that still attract new
members.
That is the skeleton of Alfreds achievements, but its his personality and character that is the real
basis of his contribution. He has always taken time to encourage individuals in a caring and
imaginative way. He gently leads people to build new skills and confidence. People are proud to say
they know Alfred, proud to own one of his works. His imaginative and energetic effort leads to
innovation and exciting activities for all those around him. To use the words of Churchill, Alfred
sees the opportunity in every difficultly.
The Committee is happy to know that Alfred will remain a member, and will continue to advise and
assist us when we call.
Bio
Alfred Memelink (1961) is a prominent New Zealand watercolour artist who is winning recognition for
a great variety of streetscapes and seascapes, largely of Wellington region.
His family was the ideal place for a future artist to be raised in. As a boy, Alfred was always
encouraged to do something creative, draw, paint or make models. His father was an artist and he
used to set Alfred on one corner of the big table in the lounge to paint a small version of whatever
big painting he was working on at the time. One of his most vivid childhood memories is the Sydney
Thomsons painting of a garden scene with beautiful mauve summer shadows. All through his early
years, memories like these engraved upon Alfred Memelink a genuine admiration for art. This passion
would stay with him even though he has chosen the career of a marine engineer first.
Surprisingly, Alfreds job as a marine engineer contributed to his creativity immensely. It was
during his sea voyages when Alfred Memelink trained himself to translate exactly what his eyes saw
onto paper with the help of watercolour medium. As soon as he realized that art meant so much in his
life, he took the plunge and left his job to become a full time artist. Pursuing an artists career
in a big way, Alfred was on the radar from the very start. Thus, having no formal art education, he
managed to prove that it's your paintings that makes you an artist, not your qualifications. Still,
Alfred couldnt give up the sea completely as he loves being at sea. Thus, he balances the two
passions by spending about two months at sea and the rest in his art studio.
Since his first solo exhibition in 1994, Alfred Memelink solidified his place in the art community
of New Zealand. Gradually, his feel for watercolour as a medium that has a temperament of its own
has developed, and he has grown to be at one with it.
Alfreds special association with Wellington and its harbour coupled with his deep-rooted love of the
sea has endowed him with a unique approach to his art. He has the talent to combine a broad spectrum
of colours and bring to life everyday scenes infused with his unusual perspectives. The artists
Wellington theme paintings cover the region from Kapiti to Island Bay, with the focus on the central
city, often in winter and autumn dress.
Alfred Memelink is a people person and he enjoys being involved in the local arts community. Alfred
is a long standing committee member of Watercolour New Zealand, the national society committed to
the promotion of watercolour painting, and was elected its president in 2007. Moreover, he is a
council member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, presently vice president, an Art Gallery
featuring original artworks by renown New Zealand artists. In addition, Alfred turns to the talents
and needs of the beginner artists. He initiated and conducted different workshops for members of
Watercolour New Zealand society, sharing his secrets of watercolour painting techniques and his
knowledge on how market the arts and set up an exhibition. Apart from this, the artist provides
individual tutoring of watercolour painting techniques and leads watercolour classes for children
and adults when time allows.
In 2008 Alfred joined a 50-day voyage on NIWA's deep water research vessel Tangaroa to Antarctica as
chief engineer.
As part of the International Polar Year Census of Antarctic Marine Life, New Zealand scientists were
to improve understanding about the ecosystem of the ice-packed Ross Sea region and research the
impacts of global warming under Antarctic marine research program.
As an artist, Alfred couldnt resist the temptation to paint the immense beauty of Antarctica during
any spare moment he could find.
After a hard day of challenging work, Alfred's cabin was metamorphosed into an art studio and the
artist himself did his best to capture magnificent scenes he saw. With no possibility to paint on
deck because his watercolours would freeze straight away, he painted right from his cabin porthole
or from photos he had taken during the day.
His sea voyage not only fuelled his passion to paint breathtaking marine landscapes featured in
Alfreds subsequent Antarctica theme exhibitions, but also made him realize the importance of
preserving Antarctica as an International Nature Park. Since Alfred is recognized as an artist who
creates positive art that uplifts the spirit, it is difficult to believe that he is the one who
created such painting as 'Death of a Minke Whale'. This artwork, inspired by photos from K.Davison
and J.Sutton-Hibbert taken during a Greenpeace expedition in the Southern Ocean, demonstrates that
Alfred Memelink is not blissfully oblivious to the brutality of pointless slaughter and wants to
make a difference with his art.
Read "ANTARCTICA - ARTIST'S DIARY"
to follow Alfred on this fascinating journey.
Although Alfred has a specific style he has mastered, he takes time to do a lot of experimenting and
seems to be in a constant search of what else he can learn. Thus, he even developed the abstract
collage style.
At first he does wild abstracts of colour, then tears and cuts them to bits, and, finally, collages
them together into a scene. Photography, sculpture, and prints are other media he is successfully
working with.
There is a clear dialogue between Alfreds painting and music. Being a jazz saxophonist, he regards
jazz as an incredibly creative medium, which doesnt restrict players to the written notes but
permits them to be purely creative around the chord structure of the piece and melody. Jazz is thus
often playing in the background whilst Alfred is painting one of his Antarctic paintings he
completed recently was even named after a jazz tune After Midnight.
Alfreds watercolours and photographs can be seen on stamps, cards, and different publications. For
instance, in 2009 he created a series of paintings for the issue of the Pitcairn Islands Stamps
commemorating visits by Royal navy ships to the Pitcairn islands. This stamp issue was soon awarded
a gold medal from the prestigious New Zealand Pride in Print Awards. The second edition was released
in December 2010.
Unlike those who think that being an artist is spending all the time in the studio, create their
art, wait to be discovered and then get frustrated when they are not, Alfred is convinced that an
artist actually needs to get their out there with their art, particularly in New Zealand. Enjoying
the business side of being an artist, Alfred Memelink achieved great success with his solo
exhibitions and the demand for his artworks is increasing.
